Public Expenditure

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department allocated to the (a) Conflict Pool, (b) Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund, (c) BBC World Service, excluding the BBC World Service Trust, (d) BBC World Service Trust, (e) Special Reserve, (f) British Council and (g) Security and Intelligence Fund in each year since 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 March 2013
	The Conflict Pool is part of a HM Treasury-funded settlement on conflict resources. It is not funded from Ministry of Defence (MOD) departmental expenditure limits and is managed jointly by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the MOD. The MOD's use of Conflict Pool funds is explained in its annual reports, which can be found online at the following address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-annual-report-2011-12
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-resource-accounts-2010-11
	There is no Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund. Responsibility for funding discretionary peacekeeping activities is currently accounted for within the Conflict Resources Settlement provided by HM Treasury in the 2010 spending review.
	The MOD has not allocated funds to the BBC World Service or the BBC World Service Trust. The MOD has, however, made payments to the BBC World Service Trust for the provision of specific services.
	The MOD does not contribute funds to the Special Reserve, which is the responsibility of HM Treasury. The MOD receives funds from the Special Reserve for paying the net additional costs of military operations in Afghanistan.
	The MOD has not allocated funds to the British Council. The MOD has, however, made payments to the British Council for the provision of specific services.
	There is no Security and Intelligence Fund. There is however a Single Intelligence Account to fund the business of the Intelligence and Security Agencies. The MOD is reimbursed for services it provides.

Special Advisers

David Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many special advisers work in his office.

Nicholas Clegg: The Government regularly publishes details of special adviser numbers and pay bands. This information is available on the Cabinet Office website at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs-october-2012

Energy: Housing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total annual expenditure on (a) electricity and (b) gas by domestic users was in each year since 2003.

Gregory Barker: DECC publishes data on total annual expenditure on electricity and gas by domestic consumers in Table 1.1.6 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES): The latest published data are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Annual expenditure (£million) 
			  Electricity Gas 
			 2003 7,660 6,260 
			 2004 9,120 8,285 
			 2005 9,665 8,215 
			 2006 11,340 10,100 
			 2007 12,540 9,950 
			 2008 14,245 12,070 
			 2009 14,535 12,605 
			 2010 14,085 14,275 
			 2011 14,695 12,310 
		
	
	Data for 2012 are not yet available.
	The Digest of UK Energy Statistics is available on the DECC website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes

Fuel Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of people lived in fuel poverty in each of the last 30 years (a) nationally and (b) in each region.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows the number and proportion of households in fuel poverty for each country in the UK, for each year that data is available since the measurement of fuel poverty started in 1996.
	
		
			   1996 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 England Thousand 5,100 1,222 1,236 1,529 2,432 2,819 3,335 3,964 3,536 
			  Percentage 25 6 6 7 11 13 16 18 16 
		
	
	
		
			   1996 2002 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Scotland Thousand 756 293 350 419 543 586 618 770 658 
			  Percentage 36 13 15 18 24 25 27 33 28 
		
	
	
		
			   2004 2005* 2006* 2008 2009* 2010* 
			 Wales Thousand 134 167 250 332 368 332 
			  Percentage 11 14 21 26 29 26 
		
	
	
		
			   2004 2006 2009 
			 Northern Ireland Thousand 154 226 302 
			  Percentage 24 34 44 
		
	
	Data for England is taken from the annual Fuel Poverty Statistics, based on the English Housing Survey (EHS). Data for Scotland is taken from the Scottish House Condition Survey. This survey changed to a calendar year basis in 2007, making it consistent with the English Housing Survey. Data for Wales is taken from the Living in Wales survey. Years marked with an asterisk (*) indicate those for which fuel poverty in Wales has been estimated, by taking data from a previous year where actual data was available, and applying predicted price and income changes. Data for Northern Ireland is taken from the Northern Ireland House Condition Survey.
	The following table shows the number and proportion of households in fuel poverty in each region in England between 2003 and 2010. This information is only available from 2003 onwards. This table can also be found in the long-term trends tables of our annual fuel poverty publication (in table 19). This can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/fuel-poverty-statistics
	
		
			  Fuel poor 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 North East Thousand 95 103 126 179 206 236 272 238 
			  Percentage 8.7 9.5 11.5 16.4 18.6 21.2 24.1 21.3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Thousand 180 163 169 273 333 407 444 415 
			  Percentage 8.6 7.7 8.0 12.7 15.5 18.2 19.9 18.6 
			 North West Thousand 178 190 268 415 412 531 649 601 
			  Percentage 6.3 6.6 9.2 14.2 16.1 18.1 22.1 20.3 
			 East Midlands Thousand 112 101 145 236 212 359 398 341 
			  Percentage 6.3 5.7 8.1 12.9 14.8 19.2 21.4 18.1 
			 West Midlands Thousand 146 153 197 304 383 500 589 485 
			  Percentage 6.7 7.0 8.9 13.7 17.2 22.5 26.2 21.6 
			 South West Thousand 139 134 181 256 259 339 411 342 
			  Percentage 6.5 6.2 8.3 11.6 11.7 75.5 18.4 15.2 
			 East of England Thousand 115 141 155 224 253 292 388 381 
			  Percentage 5.1 6.1 6.7 9.7 10.8 12.5 16.2 16.0 
			 South East Thousand 149 133 169 291 333 342 411 401 
			  Percentage 4.4 3.9 4.9 8.5 9.5 9.9 11.8 11.5 
			 London Thousand 108 119 120 254 309 328 402 331 
			  Percentage 3.6 3.9 3.9 8.3 10.0 10.8 13.3 10.9

Peat Bogs

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what reports he has received on whether floating roads, built to provide vehicular access over windfarms, sink into peatlands;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the risk of drying out, cracking and potential peat-pipe formation on peatlands as a result of construction of floating roads;
	(3)  how many windfarm developments involving deep peat have received a formal risk matrix prior to construction to date;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the risk posed by peat slides that occur as a result of constructing windfarms on peatland.

Gregory Barker: Applicants for consent for major energy infrastructure must provide assessments of potential biodiversity and geological impacts which would include an assessment of the effects of locating the infrastructure on peatland if that was the case. The decision-making authority would need to take such impacts into account before making its decision.
	The National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3)(1) contains further information on the assessment of applications for consent for onshore wind farms on peat.
	The Department has not undertaken, nor received, any specific assessments on these issues.
	(1)https://Whitehall-admin.production.alphagov.co.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/37048/1940-nps-renewable-energy-en3.pdf

Wind Power

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the (a) level of carbon emissions resulting from the construction of each onshore wind turbine and (b) total amount of energy produced by such turbines annually.

Gregory Barker: The carbon footprint for onshore wind electricity production ranges between 8-20gCO2eq/kWh, taking into account emissions incurred during the manufacture, construction, maintenance, and decommissioning phases:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/postpn_383-carbon-footprint-electricity-generation.pdf
	Research suggests that the average wind farm is expected to generate at least 20 to 25 times the energy used in its manufacture, installation, operation and eventual decommissioning over its lifetime; the average energy payback time for a wind farm is between three and 10 months:
	http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/FACULTY/ITO/GG410/Wind/Kubiszewski_EROI_Wind_RenEn10.pdf
	In 2011, onshore wind generated 1.0.4 TWh of electricity. This is taken from the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2012, table 6.4, which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

Higher Education: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions the Minister of State for Universities has (a) met, (b) spoken on the telephone and (c) corresponded with the vice-chancellors of universities in Scotland in each year since 2010.

David Willetts: Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the gov.uk internet site and details are available via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills/series/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012
	I have not spoken on the telephone with the vice-chancellors of universities in Scotland in each year since 2010.
	I have corresponded with Scottish vice-chancellors on 13 occasions since 2010.

Visits Abroad

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many overseas visits have been made by Ministers of his Department to support trade and investment in each year since 2010.

Michael Fallon: Details of all overseas visits undertaken by Ministers at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills are published on a quarterly basis on the gov.uk website
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills/series/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012
	Details covering 2012 Q4 will be published shortly.
	The information includes name, date, destination, purpose of the trip and cost by each Minister.

Fines: Surcharges

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the victim surcharge.

Helen Grant: Since its introduction in 2007, the victim surcharge has raised £41.2 million, which has funded vital services for victims and witnesses of crime. The reforms to increase and extend the surcharge, introduced by this Government, will see more offenders take responsibility for the harm they have caused. They will contribute up to an additional £50 million per year towards the cost of victims' services.